Chris Martin backs misfiring batsmen

Posted By: Staff

Published: Tuesday, December 8, 2009, 12:48 [IST]

Wellington(New Zealand), Dec.8 (ANI): Veteran Black Caps bowler Chris Martin has backed the team's out of form batsmen to come up with the goods during the final Test against Pakistan in Napier later in the week.

New Zealand's penetrative though undermined bowlers have given their shonky batsmen the benefit of some extreme doubt by toeing the same diplomatic line issued by the selection panel yesterday.

The panel of of captain Daniel Vettori, Glenn Turner and Mark Greatbatch preached patience as Tim McIntosh, Daniel Flynn, Martin Guptill and Grant Elliott were retained for Friday's third and final test at Napier's McLean Park.

Martin, New Zealand's senior pace bowler, agreed as the team left Wellington today, though he could not deny the batsmen's failures were irritating for a bowling unit that continues to trouble the tourists despite Shane Bond's absence.

"It's difficult at times, but the team we've got at the moment, we all can look at each other in the eye pretty genuinely," the NZPA quoted the 34-year-old, as saying.

"We all know we're giving 100 per cent. As difficult as it is to lose, we're sticking together," he added.

Only one change has been made to the home squad - B.J. Watling coming in place of Peter Fulton.

"It's a tough call to pull your basic core of batters out of the side when you're three-quarters of the way through a series. These guys were under pressure coming into the series, they're still under pressure, they just need to get some runs," said Martin.

Since New Zealand opened the series at University Oval with a 400-plus innings that contained four half centuries, the runs have dried up, except from Taylor. (ANI)